The main event injury curse and 4 other urban legends/superstitions in the UFC

#4. The Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson curse

No modern MMA fight has been booked more times, only to collapse in the final instance than the failed bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. Both men are MMA legends, with the Russian retiring undefeated as the undisputed lightweight champion and the owner of a 29-0 record.

Ferguson, meanwhile, continues to ply his trade in the lightweight division. Despite his current losing streak, his legacy as a fighter who embarked on one of the division's most impressive win streaks remains intact. When both fighters were in their primes, fans clamored for a matchup between the two.

Nurmagomedov was an elite ground-and-pound specialist with a suffocating top game and relentless chain wrestling. 'El Cucuy', by contrast, was a buzzsaw of elbows, pressure and unorthodox Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Fans were eager to see how the grappling exchanges would ensue, least of all due to Ferguson's prolific use of the rubber guard in MMA.

Unfortunately, the fight never materialized. The matchup was scheduled five separate times, with both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson each withdrawing from the matchup at different points due to injuries and health-related setbacks ranging from bad weight cuts on Nurmagomedov's part to Ferguson tripping on a cable before the fifth bout collapsed due to the onset of a global pandemic.

The matchup has since been declared cursed, with many citing how bizarre the bout cancelations grew as time went on.

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#3. The Chael Sonnen prediction curse

In his heyday, Chael Sonnen was one of MMA's most prolific trash talkers, capable of promoting himself into title fights while coming off of losses. Such was the case when the former title challenger talked himself into a title fight with Jon Jones despite suffering a TKO loss to Anderson Silva in his previous fight.

Following his retirement from active MMA competition, the former All-American wrestler embarked on a career as an MMA podcaster and analyst. Due to his natural charisma and silver tongue, Sonnen was able to grow his fanbase as he covered various topics on his podcast.

Nothing, however, earned more attention than Sonnen's pre-fight predictions. 'The American Gangster' is specifically known for the low success rate of these pre-fight predictions. Often-times, the outcomes he predicts for upcoming bouts are the opposite of what transpires inside the octagon.

This has led to a comical superstition that Sonnen only ever makes false predictions and that people ought to select the fighter that the former UFC title challenger picked against in order to secure bets.